


Dutch Courage

by GillO



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-27
Updated: 2016-02-27
Packaged: 2018-05-23 15:06:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6120362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GillO/pseuds/GillO
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two British individuals have to get pretty drunk before they can discuss a very serious topic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dutch Courage

“Sho, Rupert, what shay we have another? Berry th’hatchet or some such rot, eh?”

Rupert Giles narrowed his eyes. It was the best way he could focus on Spike. Oddly restful, too. He could just let them drift closed and the annoying vampire would just fade away…

“Shtop that!” Giles felt himself being shaken. Rude. 

“Spike, you don’t need to wake me up. I am entirely awake and would be very glad if you would remove your handsh from my pershon and desist this unnecessessary violence. But, yes, another glass would indeed be welcome.”

He gazed with interest as Spike tacked his way across the pub and managed to dock at the bar. Not such good sea legs. What can you expect, though – pillock had been to Fenland Polytechnic after all.

When Spike wove his way back to his companion, the pint glasses he carried were almost as full as when he’d collected them. Giles took a generous swig and felt refreshed. He held his left hand in front of his face and watched the blurred lines of his fingers in fascination. Must be the light or something. Pubs weren’t as well-lit as they had been in his young day. Mind you, Spike’s young day, the century before last, the lighting must have been bloody awful. Gas lamps to go with gassy beer. He chuckled at his own witticism.

“Oi, Rupes! Wake up there! Bin talking to you. No time to be away with the fairies now. Got something serious I wanna dishcush.”

With not very much difficulty, none to speak of at all really, Giles raised his head and stared at Spike. So bloody unfair that he looked so young. He shook his head to clear it, then waited for the ringing to settle down and the room to stop moving. “Yesh, Shpike. What is it?”

Spike took a deep breath. Funny how that worked – must ask sometime – and stood up. What the he…?

“Mr Giles. We’ve known each other a long while, and this is not in fact the firsht time this has happened, in a way. However, Buffy’s Pa being AWOL and all, you’re the one I have to ask. Dunno if you count as her guardian, and she’d slap me good and proper if she thought I thought she needed one. Or you thought I thought she needed one. But you are, or were her Watcher.”

Giles was feeling very tired. Where in hell was this going? “Get on with it, man.”

“Mr Rupert Gilesh, I would like to ask you if I may have the honour of asking you if I can ask Buffy for her hand in marriage.” Spike sat down again, rather suddenly. The effort seemed to have exhausted him, but his bleary eyes were anxious as they focused on Giles.

“Bloody Hell” Giles cackled as much as swore. “You’ve been living with her for a year! Get over it, man and ashk her your bloody self. I don’t doubt she’ll say yes.”

Spike’s expression of nervous tension became a seraphic smile. His eyes sparkled with an intense joy. It lasted for several second before sleep and beer caught up with him and he rested his head on the table, lines scrawled on it in beer spills starting to seep up into the blond mop.

“Atss funny,” Giles muttered to himself. Catch him drinking himself unconscious. That table looked strangely soft and inviting, though. Just a little rest.

When Buffy stalked in an hour later, in search of her boyfriend or her Watcher – who knew? – they were both still there, both snoring gently, and both with smiles of utter contentment.


End file.
